My name is on the birth certificate of a child I thought was mine. I
have since had a paternity test done and I am not the father of the
child. How do I change the name on the birth certificate?

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Request for Question Clarification by cynthia-ga on 16 Oct 2006 02:10 PDT

In order to receive an answer we need to know in what US state the
child was born. All states have their own laws. I have a search string
that brings up results, but they are from all over the country. I need
to add your state to give you an answer.

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Request for Question Clarification by cynthia-ga on 16 Oct 2006 02:35 PDT

As a sidenote, my findings indicate that daniel2d-ga has the correct
answer, however, I can provide citations specific to your jurisdiction
and tell you where to begin.

I believe it is the mother's legal responsibility to change the child's name now.

It may be a good idea to speak to a lawyer.

This is a free comment.

Steph53

I am sorry to hear of your problem.  It may complicate matters if you
are married to the mother.  State law  (if you are in USA) applies, so
we need to know where the child was born.
Although a Researcher may be able to give you fairly solid
information, it is unlikely that one will spend much time looking for
the price. Check the FAQs.
As the disclaimer below points out, any information here is not a
substitute for informed legal advice.

Take the paternity test results to the records office and apply for a
correction of birth record.  The record can be corrected - but will
probably still show that you were listed originally as the father but
that you were removed upon submission of the test.

I do not agree with the easy fixes. Courts all over the country have
forced men to keep paying child support though they have proved with
DNA that they are not the father.

This question does not give enough legal details to properly answer.

So, the correct answer is, see an attorney, it may not be possible to
make that change if you have already been ordered, or agreed to, pay
child support.

I do not defend this reality. If we are going to use DNA to order men
to pay support, it is insane not to use DNA to allow men not to
continue to pay support. But, at this time that is reality.

Make sure the court issues and order to take your name off the birth
certificate-- if the paternity test was done by the state child suport
agency they can file this for you---if you push them! Or have your
attorney do it, worth the cost.

Lots of good information about paternity testing here
http://www.familiesonlinemagazine.com/child-support/paternity-DNA.html